Essay on impact of social media on society

Essay on impact of social media on society

Where It Began

Myspace

Essay on impact of social media on society- With the beginning of Myspace as a platform to socialize, we have seen a change in the way we communicate. Myspace was once a way to connect musicians but became a way to connect with friends. We saw the impact of social media on our society with teenagers spending more time online than outdoors. We had a “top five” and a profile song to tell the world who we were.

Facebook

Facebook took over from Myspace around ten years ago. It introduced adults to being connected online as well as the teens fixated on their computer screens. Facebook is still a popular social media platform today and it is harder to find someone not online than online!

Instagram

Instagram took hold of our society’s obsession with image. A platform focused solely on imagery to capture your audience, we stopped communicating with friends but sharing instead. Our society is now one that celebrates lots of followers online than having real friends.

The Twitter

Twitter is the polar opposite of Instagram with your words being your most important asset. Twitter only allows you to post short snippets so people have become obsessed with post card sized opinions. If you want to avoid conflict, avoid Twitter.

How it has Developed

Essay on impact of social media on society

How it Used to be Used

Essay on impact of social media on society, Social Media began as a way for us to connect with each other. The development of the internet has allowed us to connect.

How it is Using Now

Social media has now spawned a monster in the latest generation to use it. No longer do you see thirteen-year-old girls wearing the wrong shade foundation and blue mascara. Now, teenagers are obsessing with their image and how many followers they have on Instagram.

Today’s Perspective

Now I don’t think we know what a world would be like without Social Media. It has taken over; instead of procrastinating by listening to the birds, we procrastinate by scrolling aimlessly through our timelines. There are actual reports of people being run over by cars because they are too fixated on their phones!

Tomorrow’s Perspective

With programs such as Black Mirror commenting on our obsession with our online presence, I hope to see a change. There is the fear that your online existence will become the only one that matters. But I like to look on the bright side that we will eventually get bored. I was part of the generation on Myspace. But now, I keep my online presence to a minimum. I hope teenagers today also get bored like me.

A Positive Perspective

Connecting

There is no question that Social media has impacted the way we are able to keep in touch with one another. If you move across the country, you won’t lose touch with your friends back home. We don’t need to wait five days for our letters to arrive. We can simply send an instant message to our friends.

Businesses

Essay on impact of social media on society has been a powerful tool in the development of small, independently owned businesses. We now see small businesses popping up all over the place with social media as their main source of advertising. You can buy a handmade necklace from someone the other side of the world who makes them in their living room. Individuals can grow their small ideas into large scale projects that become their full-time job.

Staying Informed

Social Media allows news and information to travel very quickly. We can be well informed without turning on the radio. I know so much more about our political climate than I ever thought possible because of Social Media.

Learning

Not only are we better informed of the news, but we also have opportunities to learn from each other. We can share our opinion and have informative discussions with people across the world.

A Negative Perspective

Image

The previously mentioned obsession with image is having damaging effects on an individual’s self-esteem. Teenagers are so obsessed with how they look that girls are piling on the makeup. We are constantly comparing ourselves to photoshopped images of skinny girls. We are constantly checking how many ‘likes’ our latest picture has gotten and taking them down if it’s not a lot.

Obsession

This obsession has become an opportunity for us to berate ourselves rather than celebrate ourselves. Teenagers today no longer celebrate individuality but instead model themselves of each other. I worry they won’t ever know who they really are if they are trying to be someone else.

Addiction

It is now a factual thing that social media and phone addiction are real. Technology has manifested itself into our lives to an unhealthy degree. People go through withdrawal from addiction to their phones rather than using them for a positive reason.

Reality

Those photoshopped skinny girls I have just mentioned; they are not reality, even they don’t look how they are showing the world they do. This makes aspiring to be like them an impossible task. We show the world what we want them to see on social media rather than the whole story.

Our Verdict

Weighing Up the Options

We love the fact we can find information and a decent debate online. But we also must consider if it is damaging for younger generations. We want our children to connect with their friends, but we also want them to find healthy ways of growing up. We want them to grow into who they are naturally not trying to fit into a mold they don’t belong in.

Everything in Moderation

Just the same as a healthy diet, we recommend everything in moderation. If you are one of those individuals who is constantly glued to their phone, balance your time between reality and fiction. We recommend trying one hour a day of being completely in the present. Sit outside, enjoy nature, talk to your family!

Extremists

Just like a fad diet, we don’t recommend either extreme of social media. Don’t be constantly refreshing your Instagram feed and don’t completely cut yourself off. There are so many positives to social media for our society; we have to take advantage of those parts!

Take a Break

Now it’s up to you to decide how you want to use social media. Take a break from being online for an hour or so, you’ll feel your head get less foggy I promise.